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Biography:

I received my B.A. in psychology from the University of Michigan and a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. I completed an APA-approved clinical internship at the Palo Alto Veteran’s Affairs Medical Center, followed by a National Institute of Mental Health research postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Psychiatry at Stanford University. After working for four years as a faculty member in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco, I moved to Toronto in 2007 to join the Department of Psychology at Ryerson University.

My research centers on psychological factors associated with adjustment to illness in chronically-ill individuals. Primarily, my work has investigated quality of life, psychological distress, and symptom burden in patients who have been diagnosed with cancer, multiple sclerosis, or gastrointestinal disorders (inflammatory bowel disease or functional bowel disorders). I have expanded my program of research to examine the psychological impact of having Lynch syndrome, a hereditary cancer syndrome, and factors involved in managing risks associated with Lynch syndrome as well as other familial cancers (i.e., familial gastric cancer). My goal is to develop psychosocial interventions that will improve quality of life in the face of chronic illness. My lab is currently developing these types of interventions for people diagnosed with cancer and people who are at high risk for cancer. I have held research funding as a Principal Investigator from the Canadian Multiple Sclerosis Scientific Research Foundation, the Canadian Breast Cancer Research Alliance, and a New Investigator Award in Gender and Health from the Canadian Institute of Health Research.

My teaching interests include courses in both clinical and health psychology. I have supervised numerous trainees on research methodology, as well as cognitive-behavioral therapy. At Ryerson, I have taught graduate-level Psychopathology, Professional Ethics, and Treatment of Psychological Disorders. My undergraduate level courses have included Abnormal Psychology, Introduction to Clinical Psychology, and Death, Dying & Bereavement.

Representative and Recent Publications (please see CV for a complete listing):